Into the Tigers Den
by Beltxakelpie
Summary: The Kingdom of Wu has been transported into another dimension, and an army of demons approaches! Sun Ce and Sun Quan will have to face their own demons in order to survive this threat... Meanwhile, Keiji Maeda will find himself in an unexpected journey... with Zhong Hui. (Warning: BL. May contain strong language, violence and blood. Nothing too explicit, but be warned anyway)


[[Hello there~ This is my first fanfic, so I hope it's not too terrible!

The story follows the canon events from the Warriors Orochi games (1 to 3, Ultimate not included), focusing on the Wu Story.

Main characters are Sun Ce, Sun Quan and Keiji Maeda, though other characters will have their spotlight as well. Couples included are Ce/Yu, Tai/Quan and a very rare Kei/Hui - because yay crack pairings~

Also, please note that english is not my native language, so I apologize in advance for any possible grammar mistakes. Feel free to correct me!

All things said... enjoy~!

Love,

Beltxa~ ]]

1. We Shall Fight

_The Serpent King Orochi descended from the Heavens..._

Everything looked warped. Distorted. The prosperous lands of Jianye, the majestic Yangtze river, the once familiar buildings around the Sun palace... all the things Sun Quan was used to seeing and gave for taken were now unsettling forms that seemed to be out of place, giving off a vaguely nightmarish feeling. Ever since they had been dragged into this strange dimension, Wu was no longer Wu.

Yet... it was still his land. _Their_ land. And they would defend it from the snake-looking demons, fighting tooth and nail until the bitter end, Sun Quan knew that much.

Regardless of his intentions, the Serpent King had done something good for the future of Wu: bringing all of its best generals together under the leadership of the three generations of the Sun Family: Sun Quan, Sun Ce and Sun Jian. The Tiger of Jiangdong was now sitting at the top of the large table where the maps were displayed, a grave expression on his face, with Sun Quan at his left and Zhou Yu at his right. Sun Ce, unable to sit for a long period of time, was standing more or less close to Zhou Yu, and occasionally walking back and forth as Lu Meng explained the situation.

"Shu has fallen already, and our scouts report that the Demon Army are advancing on us. They're low in numbers, but they're stronger than humans – we can't underestimate this enemy."

"We barely know anything about them, though." Zhou Yu mused out loud, his dark eyes studying one of the maps. "If we could gather some intelligence about these demons..."

"There's no time for that, Yu", Sun Ce cut his best friend, pointing at the red wooden piece used to signal the enemy's position. "They're already within our borders, we gotta attack before they get closer!"

"But we can still send some expeditions to study them, my lord." Lu Xun, sitting almost at the end of the table, looked at his superiors as he spoke, bright-eyed. "Just a fast-moving unit, maybe two, going on a quick mission around our borders to find out about the enemy...?"

"Not a bad idea", Zhou Yu conceded, nodding his head towards the youngest strategist, "but, as Sun Ce pointed out, we must move fast."

"We do know that they move fast as well." Lu Meng crossed his arms, watching Zhou Yu. "According to our reports, Shu was crushed before they had time to react."

"Well, they won't have that luck with us", Sun Jian said, causing his eldest son to smirk. "We know they're coming, and we'll be ready to fight them back. Zhou Yu, where are we going to engage them?"

At this question, Zhou Yu glanced briefly at Lu Meng. Lu Meng, guessing his thoughts, pointed at one map and said, "This is their most likely route."

"Yes. I figured as such." Thoughtful, the pale strategist studied the maps for a few more seconds, before looking at Sun Jian. When he spoke, his voice sounded determined. "We'll meet them at Hefei."

"Hefei?" Sun Ce's eyes widened for a moment. "That's too close from here!"

"I know, Ce."

"Are you sure?"

Zhou Yu smirked knowingly at the young tiger for a second.

"I have a plan."

"Oh, good! I like your plans." Smiling, Sun Ce plopped on a chair by his best friend's side, while his father nodded encouragingly.

"Yes, let's listen to your plan, Master Strategist."

Zhou Yu blushed ever so slightly at that title, and got up to arrange the maps. The geography of the whole land had been altered as they had been transported to this new, strange world, rendering useless all their previous knowledge of the terrain. Zhou Yu and Lu Meng had spent many hours working on those maps, drawn based on their scouts reports. As a result, Hefei was now at the Wu side of the river, and pretty much the only available route to their capital of Jianye if they moved fast and cut the other roads. "We'll be driving them there", Zhou Yu explained. "We have fortifications we can use, and they'll be tired from taking the longest route from Shu.

"However, this means we'll have to send some of our men to cut those roads. It will be a risky mission, as they could get isolated if we lose."

"We won't lose." Sun Ce asserted, determined. Zhou Yu sighed, staring at him.

"We must be realistic, Ce. As of now, nobody has been able to stop this demon Orochi. We could fall before him as well, keep it in mind. Now, if may I continue..." Sun Ce rolled his eyes, obviously disagreeing, but gestured him to continue regardless. "Thank you. So, as the enemy is forced to advance on Hefei, we'll prepare to defend it. Lord Sun Jian, I propose that you take this position and lead the vanguard." He put one of the blue wooden pieces on the map. "Ce, you will lead the second unit. You will take a detour and gather the officers garrisoned around Hefei, then join the battle."

"What? No way! I want to be in the front lines from-"  
>"Ce." Sun Jian stared at his eldest son, cutting him off. "I see where Zhou Yu is going. We're going to need reinforcements, as many as we can get."<p>

"Exactly, my lord."

"In fact...", Sun Quan started, hesitantly. He had been quiet during the meeting, only listening to everybody else, glad that his father and brother were there to take the lead in his place. Now that the attention had been drawn to him, though, he had no choice but to speak up. "I... I think we should ask Wei for reinforcements. If we can send a messenger to lord Cao Cao, I believe he would agree to assist us."

"Pfft." Sun Ce snorted. "Why would he? Cao Cao has been wanting Wu to disappear since forever!"

"No, Ce..., your brother is right." Zhou Yu smiled at the youngest Sun lord. "In this situation, Cao Cao will want to assist us. After all, if we are victorious, the Demon Army will have to retreat and Wei won't be threatened. And if we are defeated... well, he will have first-hand information about the demons. Wei benefits from sending us reinforcements however you look at it."

"Understood. Dispatch a messenger to Cao Cao immediately, then." At his father's order, Sun Quan nodded his head towards Lu Xun, whom quickly began to write a letter.

–

This wasn't the end of the war meeting, though. There were still too many things to discuss, too many details to prepare and decisions to make before their strategy was ready. In the end, it was decided that Huang Gai and Lu Xun would be in charge of cutting the roads – an operation that would start right away, even before the meeting finished. As suggested, Sun Jian would lead the main army to Hefei, with Zhou Yu as second-in-command, and Ling Tong and Ding Feng on the front lines. Gan Ning, along with Lu Su, would lay in wait for the Wei reinforcements, ready to ambush the enemy in case the reinforcements didn't arrive. Meanwhile, Sun Ce would circle the area and lead a smaller army as he met Han Dang and the other officers stationed around the battlefield. And last, Sun Quan would be in charge of establishing the last line of defense in Jianye, in case everything else failed, assisted by his sister Sun Shangxiang, Lu Meng, Taishi Ci, and his always loyal bodyguard, Zhou Tai.

Silent as usual, Zhou Tai was now walking by his young lord's side, accompanying him as the tiger cub retired to his chambers, once the meeting was over. Sun Quan's expression was serious as ever, almost unreadable, but the bodyguard knew better. He had been with Sun Quan long enough to be able to see through his facade, and what he saw now was fear. His lord was scared. Understandably so, Zhou Tai thought to himself.

"My lord?", he called after a while, his low voice somewhat startling Sun Quan.

"...Yes?"

"Whatever happens, I will protect you."

At this simple, yet genuinely devoted statement, Sun Quan looked away to hide a slight blush. He knew he could count on Zhou Tai, the bodyguard had saved his life more than once, and his mere presence made him feel safe. If everything failed, Zhou Tai would fight to death in order to protect him... and this thought scared Sun Quan further. He didn't want Zhou Tai to die. Feeling a little flustered, he murmured an almost shy "Thank you."

Zhou Tai smiled a little to himself, noticing his lord's sincere appreciation. He couldn't help but finding cute how Sun Quan seemed to worry so much about him. "You're welcome, my lord."

Sun Jian had retired to his chambers too, as well as most people aside from those with urgent missions. Sun Ce, though, had stayed behind in the meeting room, pretending to be doing one thing or the other while Zhou Yu dispatched the last instructions and rolled the maps carefully. Of course, the strategist had noticed Sun Ce's fiddling around, and accurately figured that the Little Conqueror had something he wanted to discuss with him in private. He could only hope they wouldn't end up fighting on the night before what could be their greatest campaign ever.

"What is it, Ce?", he finally asked, in a calm voice, putting the last map on its place. "You've been too quiet the last hours. A bad sort of quiet, mind you."

Sun Ce shrugged, appearing to be very interested on something outside the window for a second, before turning to look at the strategist.

"Dunno, Yu, it's just... something you said. About being prepared for a defeat." Slowly, he moved closer to Zhou Yu and looked at him in the eye. "Do you think we can be defeated?"

"It's a possibility we can't ignore, Ce." Zhou Yu replied calmly, returning Sun Ce's stare. "A good strategist must take into account every possible outcome, be it likely or not. I'm only being cautious."

"Hmm." Sun Ce took a moment to think about it, then broke eye contact and turned around, looking at the window again. "I see. Yeah, being cautious makes sense."

"Not your cup of tea, though." Zhou Yu sighed, taking a last look at the now neatly piled up maps. "You're too imprudent, Bofu. I'd like you to be careful out there, this is an enemy like we've not faced before. It would be foolish of you to let your impulsiveness take over."

At this point, Sun Ce moved to face the pale strategist, his amber eyes locking on his friend's black ones with a somewhat amused gleam. "Why, are you worried about me, Gongjin?"

"I always am", Zhou Yu said softly, his cheeks turning a light pink at the intensity of the Little Conqueror's gaze. "You have a tendency of running into danger..."

"Oh? So that's why you put me to lead the second unit, huh?" Sun Ce smirked, reaching out to remove a spec of dust from Zhou Yu's sleeve. "Though, to be honest..." Almost on its own, his hand slid down the strategist's arm, "...I'm also worried about you. Or more like, I'm worried that this will be our final battle and we won't be together."

His fingers grazed Zhou Yu's hand, and the strategist slowly moved to grasp them, holding onto Sun Ce's hand. Somehow, at some point, their bodies had moved closer as they spoke, and he could feel the young tiger's all-encompassing warmth seeping into his body.

"Well... this doesn't have to be our final battle."

Sun Ce smiled, moving even closer. He had been thinking, if Zhou Yu wasn't sure of their victory, it meant that there were reasons to be afraid of the enemy. And, in that case, he didn't want to go without making his friend know his true feelings for him. If that was going to be his last chance...

"It's scary, isn't it? To feel this way about someone..." He squeezed the strategist's hand. "But I can't deny my feelings anymore, Gongjin. Not when I might not see you again..."

"Bofu..." Zhou Yu was trying to keep his head cold, but it was difficult with Sun Ce's figure so close, his hand holding his so tightly, and his eyes gazing at him with such consuming warmth. He knew that if Sun Ce tried something, he wouldn't be able to resist. He didn't want to resist. "Are you trying to say...?"

"Yes", Sun Ce whispered, putting his arm around the pale man's waist, his face leaning closer so that their lips almost touched. "Yes, Gongjin. Believe or not..., I'm in love with you."

Zhou Yu blushed, his heart pounding wildly into his chest. Feeling momentarily at a loss of words, he responded to his friend's declaration by shortening the distance to his lips, completing the kiss. It was a short kiss, and not very skillful at that, but the amount of emotion put into it made up for it more than enough.

"This better not be your final battle, Bofu...", he finally said, his lips still against Sun Ce's. The Little Conqueror smirked, pulling him closer.

"Does that mean the feeling is mutual?"

Zhou Yu chuckled, blushing again at Sun Ce's loving gaze. "Of course, Ce, I love you too. Isn't it clear enough? Or... are you so cheesy that you need me to say it?"

"Cheesy? ...Oh, shut up", Sun Ce pouted, before hungrily yet lovingly kissing Zhou Yu.

–

On the next day, Sun Ce had to get up very early in the morning, almost earlier than the sun itself. His unit would be the first one to leave, as they had a long trip in front of them. The Little Conqueror had been plagued with uncertainty as he bid Zhou Yu an emotional farewell, kissing his lips and promising they would meet again soon, but he shown no vulnerability whatsoever once he was in front of his men. From the palace gates, Zhou Yu watched him rallying the troops with a cheerful little speech, before mounting on his horse to leave. He glanced back for a last time, though, his amber eyes finding the strategist's for but a second, and Zhou Yu confirmed what he already suspected – it was all just a show. Sun Ce was actually scared at the thought of not seeing him again. It filled Zhou Yu with so much anxiety that he felt sick.

There was no time for weakness, though. The place was bustling with activity despite being so early, as the main army prepared for going out. Sun Jian was pretty much at the center of it all, his commanding presence beaming like a beacon of hope, with Sun Quan and Sun Shangxiang by his side - the two Sun children that would be left behind while they went out to battle. Both of them seemed quite downcast, though the princess of Wu was better at presenting a cheerful face, whereas Sun Quan just tried to keep up his composure the best he could. Zhou Yu had the feeling that the youngest Sun lord was terrified, even though Sun Quan, stubborn to a fault, would never admit it out loud.

Soon, the army was assembled and ready to go. Gathering all his remaining strength, Zhou Yu took his place by Sun Jian's side, waiting on his white horse while the Tiger of Jiangdong hugged his children, comforting them a last time. He promised Sun Quan that he would be careful, and kissed Shangxiang's forehead, before getting on his horse. Like Sun Ce before him, he gave a cheerful speech to the troops to rally them, and ordered to open the gates. Sighing, with a feeling of sickness still clinging to his stomach, Zhou Yu took a last look around and spurred his horse, leaving the safety of the palace walls for who knew how long.


End file.
